Australia-based Sicona Battery Technologies, a developer of silicon-carbon anode materials for next-generation lithium-ion batteries, announced its expansion into the fast-growing United States battery component market with the development of its first commercial production facilities in the south-eastern United States near the geographic heart of the growing US battery and electric vehicle manufacturing hub.

Having recently completed front-end engineering design studies with Bechtel, Sicona is moving forward with the phased development of a 6,700 tonne per annum (tpa) silicon-carbon anode materials production plant. This development would make Sicona the largest producer of silicon-carbon anode materials in the United States—surpassing the approximately 5,800 tpa total silicon-carbon plants under construction and development in the north-western United States, according to Sicona.

By the early 2030s, Sicona plans to ultimately expand its US production to a total output of 26,500 tpa, enough silicon-carbon anode materials to power more than 3.25 million American electric vehicles (EVs).

Sicona produces Silicon-Carbon (Sicona SiCx) anode materials that deliver a 20%-plus increase in energy density over conventional graphite-only Lithium-ion battery cells and reducing charge times by more than 40%.

Furthermore, Sicona’s technology does not rely on silane gas. This enables Sicona’s customers to access unmatched prices and scale for maximum positive impacts of a drop-in material without incurring significant costs and disruptive reengineering in their battery production facilities.

Utilizing a top-down process, Sicona has cracked efficient mechanical silicon metal reduction to create uniform nanoparticles. Further treatment in specialized carbon coating processes create the material.

To support its US manufacturing plans, Sicona has started supplying product samples and initiated offtake discussions with cornerstone customers with qualification activities expected to ramp up significantly over the coming 12 – 18 months.